Symptoms

Blood in the urine

Pain during urination

Pain in the pelvis

Diagnosis and Treatment

Bladder cancer occurs predominantly in elderly men and less frequently in women and younger men. Your doctor will ask for a complete medical history and will perform a thorough physical examination. Diagnostic tests may include:

Analysis of urine under a microscope to check for blood and possible cancerous cells

Radiological imaging of the entire urologic system, including ultrasound

Cystoscopy with biopsies

Fortunately, 80 percent of bladder tumors can be readily treated with endoscopic techniques, which remove the tumors through the cystoscope via the urethra. At times, immunotherapy—a form of the tuberculosis vaccine known as BCG—is instilled in the bladder to treat or prevent recurrences.

However, in 20 percent of patients, the cancer has invaded into the bladder wall, and more aggressive treatment is required. This may involve:

Robotic cystectomy is simply a minimally invasive surgical method for bladder cancer. This procedure offers bladder cancer patients the prospect of a more effective surgery and less problematic post-surgical recovery.